October 2020 Saint Cloud Weather Summary

Saint Cloud October 2020 Weather Summary  

The fall months have a wide variety of possible temperatures in Minnesota. In September, the temperature worked both ends of the extremes with 6 days at least 6 degrees warmer than average and 6 days at least 10 degrees colder than average (see NWS September St. Cloud high-low temperature table). October continued the wild weather swings, but someone left the barn door open for most of the month. The overall October temperature in St. Cloud was 40.0 degrees (high of 49.3; low of 30.7). That was the 5th coldest October on record and the coldest since 2002 (second place). The Octobers of 2020 and 2002 are the only ones in the past 95 years with an average temperature of 40 degrees or colder.

The dominant cold period was October 16-27. All but one of the days during this period were at least 10 degrees colder than average (see NWS October St. Cloud high-low temperature table). Most of those days generated a high around the freezing mark with lows as cold as the 20s and even a few teens (see NWS St. Cloud October high-low temperature graph). The average temperature for October 18-27 was 26.8 degrees (high 31.6, low 21.9), typical of the weekend after Thanksgiving.

This cold surge ended up producing 7 record cold temperatures in the four days between October 24 and 28. The 27 degree high on the 25th was the 5th earliest high colder than 30 degrees in St. Cloud records. The earliest one was October 17, 1930 when the high was 29. The temperature did end up getting down to 11 degrees early on the 27th, but the record cold low for that day was 5 degrees.

There were also 6 October days with a high of freezing or colder, the most in St. Cloud records dating back to 1893. The old record was 5 days in 1925. There were 21 days with a low of freezing or colder, which was the third most in the month of October. The record was set in 1988 (25 days).

The growing season came to an end with a hard freeze and a low of 27 degrees on October 2. This was about a week late for the median date of the first frost, but nearly right on time for the first 28 degree temperature. The last frost date in the spring was May 12, so the growing season between frost days in St. Cloud was a total of 143 days, in the upper half of longest growing seasons (average 137 days). However, it was a bit short on days without a freeze (also 143 days, since the first and last frost date had lows of 27 degrees). St. Cloud averages 158 days between freezes.

    October 2020 Statistics

Last Update: 3 November 2020